Facilitating Group Decision Making
Introduction
In the “Running Effective Meetings” module (Module 3), we cover some basic meeting management skills that can help you get the most out of a group meeting. Unfortunately, having a detailed agenda is often not sufficient to ensure a successful meeting. Watershed groups are often faced with complex or controversial issues that require effective group process that maximizes creative thinking, allows everyone to contribute to the discussion, and results in clearly defined agreements that will be honored after the meeting ends.
The purpose of this module is to introduce you to one model of the group decision-making process that we have found very helpful in our work as meeting facilitators. Even a basic understanding of group process can help you improve your skills as a group leader and member by recognizing the typical stages groups go through during the decision-making process and the most effective strategies for facilitating constructive conversations during each of these stages.
Learning Objectives
After completion of the module the learner should be able to:
- Describe Kaner’s “diamond of participation” model of the group decision-making process and some strategies for dealing with difficult group dynamics.
- Use the Facilitators Guide to Participatory Decision Making to design group discussions that increase participation and result in creative solutions and sustainable agreements.
Sam Kaner is a professional facilitator and trainer with the consulting firm “Communities at Work.” Kaner’s work focuses on group dynamics and decision making. His book “Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision Making”, which is provided to all OWA students, covers a range of issues you might encounter in your work with groups. It is based on the assumption that when groups maximize opportunities for all group members to contribute to a discussion in a constructive manner, the resulting solutions and agreements tend to be more creative, agreeable to all parties, and therefore more sustainable (i.e., likely to be honored and implemented over the long-term).
We like Kaner’s approach because he approaches group facilitation from a very realistic and practical perspective, while providing a helpful overarching model, the “diamond of participation” for understanding where groups go wrong and how to get them back on track. We recommend you start with two sections in Kaner’s book to become familiar with the basic concepts underlying his approach to participatory decision making and dealing with difficult group dynamics. Once you’ve completed the required readings (see below), think about a group decision making situation that you faced in the past, one you are currently involved in, or one you anticipate dealing with in the future. Find and read the chapter in Kaner’s book that you think would be most helpful for addressing the situation you’re thinking about and complete the assignment outlined below.
Background Readings
Required:
- Kaner, S. (1996). Grounding Principles. In Kaner S., Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision Making (Introduction p. xiii—xvi and pp. 3-22). Gabriola Island: BC, Canada. New Society Publishers.
- Kaner, S. (1996). Dealing With Difficult Dynamics In Kaner S., Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision Making (pp. 135--137; p.139, p.142, p.149-154). Gabriola Island: BC, Canada. New Society Publishers.
Additional Resources:
- Group Facilitation Skills: A Toolbox for Effective Meetings, Ohio Watershed Academy, Running Effective Meetings Library Module (libmod08_1.pdf) [Academy students will receive a copy of this document—perhaps include a few strategies].